Michigan
South Dakota
Wolverines Walk-Off South Dakota, Fall to Louisville to Open Cardinal Classic
3/16/2024 9:04:00 PM | Softball
» Michigan rallied to beat South Dakota 4-3 in walk-off fashion before falling to host Louisville 12-4 in five innings in its opening games of the Cardinal Classic.
» U-M scored four runs with two outs in the seventh against the Coyotes; Lilly Vallimont delivered the game-winning hit with a looping single to shallow center.
» The Wolverines were doomed by home runs against Louisville, who scored seven runs off three long balls; Jenissa Conway tallied two homers herself against the Cardinals.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Michigan softball team split its opening games of the Cardinal Classic, rallying to walk-off against South Dakota 4-3 before falling to host Louisville 12-4 in five innings, on Saturday (March 16) at Ulmer Stadium.
The Wolverines scored four runs -- all with two outs -- in the seventh inning against South Dakota to claim the tournament opener. U-M loaded the bases before plating runs in three consecutive at-bats. Sophomore third baseman Maddie Erickson sent a first-pitch single on the ground through the left side -- that nearly took a strange hop over the left fielder -- then senior catcher Keke Tholl tied the game with a roped two-run single through the left side.
Sophomore/freshman first baseman Lilly Vallimont fell behind 0-2 but delivered her second walk-off hit of the season with a looped single into shallow center field to score sophomore pinch runner Madi Ramey from third. Vallimont previously posted the game-winning hit in the seventh against Oregon State on Feb. 11.
Vallimont, Tholl and junior outfielder Ellie Sieler all posted two hits against the Coyotes.
South Dakota strung together four singles to break the scoreless tie in the sixth inning and added another on one-out groundout in the top of the seventh.
Three pitchers saw time in the circle against South Dakota. Freshman right-handed pitcher Erin Hoehn earned the win in relief, entering with two runners on in the seventh and retiring three straight batters.
Hoehn (7-3) also took the loss against Louisville, allowing six runs on eight hits through 2.1 innings. Five on her runs allowed came on a pair of homers. In all, three Wolverine pitchers appeared in the circle, and all were hurt by extra-base hits. The Cardinals posted three home runs and a three-run triple to account for 10 of their 12 runs.
Louisville broke through early with a two-run homer in the second then blew the game open with 10 runs in the third, largely off two homers and a triple.
Freshman outfielder Jenissa Conway homered twice herself as part of a 2-for-2, four-RBI effort. She got Michigan on the board with a no-doubt leadoff shot in the fourth and, after U-M reached on a pair of free passes in the fifth, drove a three-run shot to center field in her next at-bat. Conway now has a team-best five home runs on the season.
The Wolverines (14-11) will wrap up play at the Cardinal Classic Sunday (March 17), taking on Dartmouth at 10 a.m. and Illinois at 12:30 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium.
